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In the post I was originally responding to, @Aldarc said: This statement reads to me as covering the whole gamut of mechanics that directly change a character concept (as opposed to having the mechanics control what happens, and the player determining the impact on the character). Accordingly...

Except that if the Barbarian wins initiative and elects not to Rage because they don't see any enemies, they're surprised and can't do something defensive like look for cover or search since they don't get an action that turn. I think the basic problem is that the resource required to activate...

There's also an expenditure of the DM's social capital involved in creating player-facing houserules, one that scales with the length of one's houserule document. (At least if you expect players to read it and learn it!)

I was specifically referring how such a character feels to me to play, as opposed to any sort of external view of that character. I'm confident that just about any system could lead to a character whose portrayal from the outside seems fluid, in-depth, and organic in the hands of a skilled...

You joke, but the 7th level Barbarian ability is problematic even in non-degenerate situations. If the Barbarian happens to win initiative when they are surprised, it is highly likely that their Rage will end immediately, as the hidden enemies can't be effectively attacked and the enemies...

Thanks! I appreciate hearing your approach. I think such situations are more likely to come up at my table (particularly with the PCs in the role of the ambushers) so the question is probably more pertinent at my table than at yours.

That's very reasonable. As you noted, our stylistic preferences simply happen to diverge. I simply find it fascinating that such preferences can be so diametrically opposed to each other to the extent that a mechanic that one person feels promotes fluid, in-depth, and organic characters another...

To clarify, I'm asking if what if the ambushers, having seen the Alert character move into cover, elect not to engage after all (or otherwise take actions that are not apparent to ambushees)? I'm curious as to how you personally would describe the situation at that point, given the apparent...

Because in real life external influences (especially those of sufficient magnitude to change a person's character) don't come in discrete, easily described chunks. Such influences are complicated, nuanced, and messy, and will always be filtered through the lens of that person's previous...

For specificity, my decision to 'like' this post should not be construed as an endorsement of your opinion on ice cream flavors. ;)

I wasn't thinking of PVP, no. I used "character" for both sides just because I meant the example to be generic regardless of whether PCs or NPCs are doing the ambushing. To revise my question to better fit your approach to action declaration... how do you personally choose to narrate a...

Interesting! For me it's the opposite: when my character concept may change as a result of mechanics, my character feels disjointed, superficial, and artificial.

Out of curiosity, how do you personally handle the situation where the Alert character taking cover renders the the action declaration that triggered initiative impossible or unwise? Do you allow the ambushing character to change or abort their action in response to the changed circumstances? If...

This part appears to be speculation, rather than an inference from the text. The text itself is silent concerning the situation where a threat is unnoticed because a visible creature isn't recognized as a threat--it only specifically addresses the situation where the threat is hidden. Since the...

To clarify, I certainly don't think that a GM making decisions on the fly in any way results in a better or purer representation of a character. I do think that making a quick in-character decision for a sketched out NPC is easier than making a quick in-character decision for an established...

I think we are each meaning fundamentally different things by the phrase "understanding the character". But that disagreement is unrelated to my original point that making IC decisions for an NPC on the fly is easier than portraying an established character on a stage for an audience. I stand...

As I see it, at the point where you've made up Bob the Bartender and decided on some mannerisms you haven't yet reached the point of having to make an IC decision for Bob. When that point comes (presumably in response to something the PCs do, or in response to a follow-on consequence of what the...

That's fair. Thanks for explaining your viewpoint! From my standpoint it's easier to understand a character if you are simultaneously creating that character (or significantly adding to that character), but I can understand why you disagree.

I interpreted @Campbell as questioning how GMs could be so confident in their ability to make IC decisions on the fly for any given NPC when acting as a character on stage is so difficult. My response was intended to point how the scope/difficulty of those two tasks are sufficiently different to...

To clarify, I was exclusively talking about the comparison @Campbell made between the task facing posters who have said it's easy for them as a GM to make IC choices for NPCs without formalized social rules, and the task facing actors on stage performing a play.